Today was the first San Diego Salt Works tour of the 2014-2015 season. There weren't a whole lot of birds seen today. I put some photos of the highlights, except for the horned and eared grebes, of which they were plenty. Also, I was too far for the black-bellied plovers and other small shorebirds. And, I only heard 2 killdeer rather than the 50 or so that we usually see.
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| Migratory Savannah Sparrow |
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| Assorted shorebirds, willets, stilts, red knots, etc |
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| The tern congregation |
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| Short-billed dowitchers |
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| Dunlin and sandpiper |
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| Least sandpiper |
We sound a few sanderlings, including this one who was being very aggressive. It was fun to watch them.
He is on a mission to chase all the other birds away or fight them if he can.
There were a few birdy tragedies. A very sick grebe on the beginning of the walk, slowly dying and no one can help him because we were not allowed anywhere near the salt ponds. There was also a deceased barn owl with an unknown cause of death.
The peregrine was there as well as a few osprey and pelicans, too. And, of course, hundreds of gulls, including one that looked like he was pulled under water by something!
